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The Early Life of Lyndon B. Johnson
' Early Life' Lyndon Baines Johnson was born on August 27th, 1908, at the family farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas. Lyndon was first child of Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines. His grandfather declared he would grow up to become a United States Senator. Lyndon was followed by three sisters and one brother: Rebekah, Josefa, Sam Houston, and Lucia. Home Life At home mother was always reading to the children and telling stories from the classics. After firing up the children with heated discussions over dinner, their father would line up the children and conduct spelling and math bees. The little ones would participate as soon as they could stand up. Often he would have the children debate an issue, but other times something that might interest them to hone their debating skills, such as which is sweeter, honey or tobacco. Interest in Politics Lyndon from early childhood was enamored by politics. His father began taking him to the state legislature when Lyndon was 10. The trips became more frequent as he got older. The only thing he like better was being out on the campaign trail with his dad. School Life Now fifteen, he graduated from Johnson City High School on May 24. He decided to forego higher education and instead made his way to California with a few friends. There he performed odd jobs, including one as an elevator operator. A year later he returned home where he worked on a road construction gang. Father’s Decline Sam lost the ranch in 1922, overcome by debt. His health failed in 1923, broken by years of back-breaking work. He lost his political touch, becoming bitter and started to drink heavily. People stopped flocking to him at public events. He tried a real-estate and insurance business, but couldn't make a go of it. Jobs awaited many retired legislators, but usually not the honest ones. Misbehavior Lyndon was always a difficult child and after his father lost the farm he became more difficult to deal with. He often would refuse to do his homework which caused friction with both his parents. His father who didn't have the opportunities Lyndon did, was particularly disturbed. Teenage Years After his father lost the ranch, Lyndon felt the pinch of rural poverty when his father lost the farm and times got tough. It was a bitter pill to take as the family had once been prosperous and still had pretensions. The Johnsons and their pretensions, especially the mother's pretensions, became the laughing stock of Johnson City. The children were often not properly fed. Without the money to afford help and not much of a house keeper herself, the Johnson home was a mess and the children and their fancy clothes often not washed, let along pressed. College In 1927, Lyndon borrowed $75 and enrolled in Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos, Texas (Texas State University – San Marcos). He earned money as a janitor and as an office helper. He dropped out of school for a year to serve as principal and teach 5th, 6th, and 7th graders at Welhausen School, a Mexican-American school in the south of Texas. He still had time to be a leader in many extracurricular activities, editing the school paper and starring on the debate team. August 19th, 1930 Lyndon graduated with a B.S. degree. He taught for a few weeks at Pearsall High School in Pearsall, Texas, and then he took a job teaching public speaking at Sam Houston High School in Houston, Texas. In the spring of 1931, his debate team won the district championship. Category:People Category:Jordan Klimek